Category: Poultry

Turkey Meatballs in Homemade Tomato Sauce

Mmmmm…I’ve only recently discovered how much I love meatballs! Not only are they super cute and bite-sized, they are super easy to make and taste wonderful.
I’m sure you’ve also guessed by the name Turkey Meatballs, that these are pretty healthy. Yes, meatballs with sausage and beef may be more flavorful, but they also contain more fat. Not this recipe! The only fat you are getting is from the ground turkey, which depending on the leanness, could range anywhere from 1 to 6 grams of fat.
The red pepper flakes gives these meatballs an ever so slight spicy “kick” to them and the minced shallot gives you that savory pop of flavor.  The homemade tomato sauce has a nice combination of Italian flavors, but be sure to simmer the sauce long enough or you’ll make the mistake like I did and have a thin sauce….you’ll want it semi-thick. (If you’re lazy, just heat up some of your favorite mariana sauce.)
For a healthy alternative to Italian meatballs, give these a shot and let me know what you think!
Combine the milk and breadcrumbs and let stand for 5 mintues. Add the turkey, salt, red pepper flakes and minced shallot. Mix well.

Form small balls using your hands, or to be more precise, use an ice-cream scooper. Bake for 20 minutes in a 375 degree F. oven.

Meanwhile puree tomatoes in a food processor. Pour into a heavy saucepan and simmer oregano, garlic and salt for 20 minutes or until thickened.

Once meatballs are cooked, place them in the tomato sauce.

Serve meatballs plain or with pasta, spaghetti squash, or any other carb of your liking. Don’t forget the freshly grated Parmesan cheese (picture above)!

Turkey Meatballs in Homemade Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions
1. Puree your tomatoes in a food processor or blended until smooth. Pour into a large dutch oven or heavy saucepot and bring to a simmer with oregano, garlic and a 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Let simmer for about 20 minutes to thicken.
2. Combine the milk and breadcrumbs in a small bowl and let stand for 5 mintues.
3. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, 1 teaspoon of salt, red pepper flakes, minced shallot and the soaked breadcrumbs. Mix well and form small balls (you can use your hands or use an ice-cream scooper to form perfect-looking balls).
4. Bake the meatballs for 375 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Once done, drop into tomato sauce and serve plain or with pasta and Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 4-6 servings
Recipe from: Eat, Live, Run

Chicken Capri

This is my grandmother, Nila’s Chicken Capri recipe.  It is wonderful and an super simple casserole that she used to serve back in the 1970’s in Ohio when they had friends come over.  To tell you had good this casserole is, my mom told me a story of when she and my dad had a friend over for dinner.  The man’s wife was out of town, so between him and my mom and dad (more so my dad than my mom),  they finished off this entire casserole in one sitting!
This casserole dates back to the 1970’s and supposedly serves 10 people.  This day in age, in 2011, I would more likely say it serves 6-8, since we as Americans eat larger portions and consequently weigh more than Americans did back in the 70s.  haha 🙂
Enjoy!
You will need chicken broth, Chow Mein Noodles, an onion, celery, a can of mushroom soup, a small jar of pimiento, and cashew nuts.
Cook chicken until done.  Chop into bite-sized pieces.  Simmer celery and onion in chicken broth.
Dilute soups with additional chicken broth.  Mix all ingredients together, reserving some nuts and noodles.
Place in a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.
Top with additional cashews and noodles during the last 10 minutes of baking.
We served ours with peas, strawberries, and blackberries.  Enjoy!

 

Chicken Capri
Recipe Type: Main
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups celery, chopped
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1/2 cup additional chicken broth
  • 1 can mushroom soup
  • 1 small jar pimiento, chopped
  • 1 can Chow Mein Noodles
  • 1/2 cup cashew nuts, halved
Instructions
  1. Cover chicken with water seasoned with salt and pepper.  Cook until done, then de-bone chicken and chop into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Simmer celery and onion in chicken broth.  Dilute soup with 1/2 cup chicken broth.  Mix all ingredients, reserving some noodles and nuts.
  3. Place in casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes or until bubbly.  Top with remaining noodles and nuts the last 10 minutes of baking.

Chicken Enchiladas

IMG_3272

Look no further if you’re craving a good, creamy, cheesy chicken enchilada.

My aunt Jolene is an amazing cook and gave me the recipe for her famous sour cream chicken enchiladas.

Seriously, these enchiladas are better than any you would order from a restaurant.  Plus if you’re wanting to lighten up the recipe, feel free to substitute fat-free sour cream for the full fat version….trust me, you won’t be able to tell the difference. You could also use low-fat cheese and whole wheat tortillas.

Yum….dinner doesn’t get much better than this! Enjoy!

IMG_3259 Saute onion in butter until tender. IMG_3260 Stir in flour.IMG_3261 Add chicken broth and cook until thickened. IMG_3263 In a medium bowl combine the chicken, 1 cup of sauce, green chilies and cheese. IMG_3265 Place chicken mixture in a tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in a baking pan. IMG_3266 Sprinkle with paprika and remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. IMG_3272

Chicken Enchiladas
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 8 oz sour cream at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 1/4 cup (6 oz) shredded monterey jack cheese
  • 4 oz chopped green chiles
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
  • 10 flour tortillas
  • paprika to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Saute onion and butter on medium heat until tender .
  3. Stir in flour.
  4. Add chicken broth and cook until thickened.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
  6. Combine 1 cup sauce, cheddar, 1/2 of monterey jack, chiles, chili powder, and chicken. Mix until combined.
  7. Spoon chicken mixture onto flour tortilla. Roll up tortilla and place in a baking pan. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with paprika and remaining cheese.
  8. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly.